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Bear with me in regards to the pictures...it's 3am and I think I'd let Jamie sleep instead of rummaging thru bags.
We woke up early, before the city started moving, to find a boulangerie for some morning breakfast and coffee. My bare bones French has been useful enough to order food, but my asking for directions has been utterly embarrassing.
Our day started out trying to figure out the Paris metro. TheLluxembourg station doesnt have cash paying ticket machines. After much hesitation, we just decided to walk right in and play stupid tourist at the sign of trouble.
So we get to our bike tour meeting spot: the statue of Charlemagne In front of Notre Dame. I deemed that this the best way to see the sights...when there isn't crowds of people about. Might I add that eating a ridiculously good pain aux raisins and drinking cappuccino,while taking in the marvelous sight of the sunrise at Notre dame, a gigantic statue of Charlemagne, and a possible Banksy is a very spiritual moment. We joined our bike tour and take the train to Versailles. While on the train, a man in a dark suit strolled thru our car smoking a cigarette. I thought " really?!" He turned around to face us and he had a bottle of champagne in one hand and a cigarette a a plastic cup in the other. Now he's the one on vacation! Best walk of shame I've ever seen.
We get to the Versailles train station and pause for WC breaks and refreshments. The WC are 50 cents and self cleaning! Right after Jamie emerged, he held the door open for me. I hopped in. As soon as I'm finished with my business, water sprayers shoot from the floor towards my new sneakers. I head for the door and discover that the door is locked. The lights shut off and I'm laughing and screaming for Jamie to get me out. The next person had to put in their money to get me out. That is the last time i'm going to try and extend the WC use.
We headed towards town and into a market where we got to wander around and pick up a packed lunch. We wandered around the grounds of the chateau. This was of fantastic life of the French royalty. We took pictures of Marie Antoinette's little hamlet and Petite Trianon. We had a little time to go thru the chateau to understand the opulence of monarchy. We had lunch on the grass next to the Grand Canal. Our little assortment of cheeses, meets with fresh raspberry, ripe fig, On the water, they would play out naval battles. Today, bold tourists feed crazy fat swans and take rented rowboats for a spin at the canal.
We rode our bikes to the entrance of the chateau to find African immigrants hustling to sell water and trinkets. Walking thru the museum, it reminds me sort of like Hearst castle, where I can see and understand it was only for pure pleasure....only it wasn't a publishing magnate, but a king and he has a flippin palace 20 km away in Paris. On the the way back we engaged in conversation with a New zealander family who were on a seven week trip. They had just spent 4 days in Dubai and have many more adventures planned and ending in Los Angeles. I hope to take my own children on a global trip when they're old enough.
We were supposed to go out at night but I feel asleep and didn't wake up until 3:30am. Oops.
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